Wargames Review

Monday, July 22, 2013

I tested out a battle for the "Kings of War" rule set recently (actually my 2nd test game for KoW, but I didn't take pictures of the 1st one). This was coupled with the supplement from An Hour of Wolves and Shattered Shields called "Medieval Mayhem" by Neldoreth (special thanks to him for providing this great resource for FREE!).

As always, you can click on the "YouTube" button within the video to watch directly on YouTube, so that you can control the resolution and size (recommended).

Part 1:

Part 2:

Here are some recently completed Wargames Factory Vikings, who participated in the battle by joining the Levy of Free Company. An Hour of Wolves also provides custom viking shield designs for FREE, which I used with these northmen (that link is here)! Thanks again to Neldoreth.

(Click on image to see larger size)

(The link for the Mantic Games web site, which provides the rules for KoW for free, is here.)

Monday, May 27, 2013

So, I recently put together a better setup for my wargaming surface. Until recently, it had mostly been wooden panels laying across a bed.

This is a very cheap solution that looks pretty good; so if you are looking for fancy and expensive, you've come to the wrong place! But, if you are like me, and budget matters, then just maybe this can be an inspiration for someone.

First I purchased 3 "manufactured panels" from a local hardware store, 2' x 4' each. These are basically boards that are manufactured from pressing wood pulp into a form -- so it will not have any wood grain, even though it is wood. I also obtained some very cheap spray paint -- one white and one gray. (This is the 99 cent variety you can get at Wal-Mart, etc.) [Insert standard disclosure here about spray painting in a well ventilated area, using a mask, etc.]

I sprayed each panel on one side, first white then gray. I did not spray evenly, as I wanted an uneven look. It's OK for the gray to be somewhat clumpy. I let it dry for several hours.

The product I used for the green color was "Minwax Express Color" -- which is a water based stain and finish in one. In other words, once it dries it has both the color and protection. This was important to me, because I have spilled on the table before (with 4 year olds, this isn't uncommon!). Like I said, I'm using it on fake wood, which doesn't have a grain, so I can't really comment on how the product would work on real wood.

Since it's water based, there isn't much odor, and it drys fast . . . REAL fast! In fact, I think it would be a little easier to work with if it didn't dry so quickly. You have to do small segments and work efficiently. These two globs lead to this:

The product info says "a little goes a long way," but I think that's a bit of an exaggeration.

Repeat until covered as desired. Note, it does come out pretty streaky (which is what I wanted, to simulate a field of wild grass), so be sure to wipe the product on in one direction.

I let dry for at least 24 hours.

I have two inexpensive saw horses in my basement. (You can make these yourselves with 2x4's). I laid across them two boards that are just under 6' long.

So here is the finished product! I can't figure out why the leftmost board is noticibly darker than the other two. My best guess is because I did them on different days, and the day I did the leftmost one was colder and more humid than the others. (It's exacerbated in the picture by the flash.)

Monday, May 6, 2013

I added a few more men to the unit a couple weeks ago. Nothing new here, just more of it.

(click on a picture to see in full resolution.)

I prefer to leave the black edges of the base showing. To me, it looks like each base is it's own little diorama; and when combined, I think it strikes a good balance between the "realism" and the easy-to-count ranks benefits in gameplay. Perhaps someday I'll do a tiny tutorial, if there is any interest.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

These models are from Perry Miniatures; the crossbowmen and pikemen are from the "Mercenaries" box set, and the heavy weapon guys (pole-arms) are from the War of the Roses box set (they are made to be used in conjunction with each other). One Wargames Factory viking snuck into the 2nd row to make a nice even number of men!

(click on image for higher resolution photo)

This is how they will rank up for 2 bases in FoG: 60 mm wide. (Even though the rules recommend 4 men per base for heavy, I stick with 3 simply because I want to retain the one-man-per 20 mm base option, so they can also be used in any 20mm system.) Here they represent Later Medieval Danish mixed levy -- crossbows in the front row, heavy weapon in the back. I intentionally painted them in a rather generic scheme so that they can serve in almost any medieval European army.

These were all painted with the dip method. Details of my past experimentation with dipping can be found here.

Although the dipping method itself saves time, it's still about 30-40 minutes per man. Not that it's so much time, but finding the time has been tough. Usually, I paid all the legs, then they sit for 3 weeks. Then I paint all the weapons, then they sit for 3 weeks, dipping, basing, etc.